Events/Sponsorship

Association of Pole Lathe Turners

AGM & Bodgers Ball 2006

Kingston Lacy, Dorset

Jim Steele with his chair and trophy.

It’s now over 15 years since a
handful of enthusiasts got
together and formed the
Association of Pole Lathe Turners
(APT) to rekindle an interest in the
traditional art of the pole lathe. In
the years since, the APT has grown
into an organisation of over 550
members from around Britain
and abroad (www.bodgers.org.uk).

For our annual get together in
May 2006 we went to Dorset to the
magnificent setting of the National
Trust’s Kingston Lacy property. As
the English weather is apt to do, it
was a bit of a case of “we came,
we bodged, we shivered” but a
good time was had by all. Whilst it
wasn’t exactly shorts, swim suits
and suntan lotion and there was bit
of a chill in the air, we APT-ers are
never downhearted and we were
entertained and educated with a
fine array of workshops on such
topics as hurdle making,
bowmaking, spoon carving, stick
back chairs, hay rake making and
broom squires. There were a good
number of lathes present this year
which was great to see and with
176 tickets sold it was one of the
best attended AGMs in several
years.

The Committee would like to
thank the Dorset group and in
particular local member and
coppice worker Dave Partridge for
all his and their hard work in
making it all happen. Countless
hours of organisation must have
gone into making it such a smooth
running event.

There were the usual
competition classes for chair
making, stools, treen and turnery
all proving that there is still a
wealth of craftsmanship and talent
alive and well. The Woodland
Heritage sponsored trophy for
Best in Show was won by our
chairman Jim Steele who has
been making chairs in the
Warwickshire town of Southam
for a number of years.

The 2007 AGM and Bodger’s Ball
will be held over the weekend of
the 12th and 13th May at the
National Trust’s Wallington Estate
near Morpeth in Northumberland.

There will be a wealth of
demonstrations, workshops,
competitions, displays of furniture
and turnery and a chance to chat to
a vast range of folk involved with
woodlands and greenwood crafts.